i've waited all my life (looking for something right)
by atsmoochie
Summary: When Shinsou Hitoshi turned sixteen, he met Kaminari Denki for the first time. And every year after that, they experienced another 'first' together.


On Shinsou Hitoshi's sixteenth birthday, he met Kaminari Denki for the first time.

"Dude! Welcome!" There was an obnoxious light waving at him from across the shared space of the dorms of 2-A. Or was that a person? Could sunshine be in human form? Shinsou felt the need to squint. "You're Shinsou Hitoshi, right?" The sunlight was speaking to him, apparently. "Aizawa-sensei told us you'd be coming today. It's so nice to meet you! I'm Kaminari Denki, and it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

It seemed like the sunshine named 'Kaminari' had a quirk of constant talking.

"Yeah." That was all Shinsou could say. He wasn't sure whether to look away from Kaminari, or to keep his eyes glued upon him. He was smiling a brilliant smile at Shinsou, as though they had been friends for years.

"Kaminari, leave the poor boy alone!" That came from a pink girl that Shinsou could recall from the sports festival, but not her name. But from this moment, she was his saviour. He didn't want to talk.

"Mina, I love you, but no. Look! He looks nervous! Maybe I can talk till he's not. It's a skill I have obtained through practice."

"I'm standing right here, you know." Was this person- Kaminari- really that unafraid of his quirk? People were always at least a little bit cautious in the beginning. But this guy just came out swinging in the form of never-ending conversation.

"My point _exactly._" Aizawa had warned Shinsou of how loud the 2-A class could be, but he hadn't expected someone...like Kaminari. He expected a whole class of Bakugous, if he was honest with himself. "You're here now. And really, Shinsou, friendship is inevitable around here." From somewhere else in the room, he heard a snort and laughter.

"Alright then?" Shinsou didn't know how to make this conversation end. "I'm going to find my room now."

"Oh, cool! I'll help! I think it's on the third floor, which is really great because it'll be right next to mine."

Shinsou huffed. He had gone through the five stages of grief internally, but had finally succumbed to acceptance. Kaminari wouldn't be a terrible neighbour, right? He'd have to stop talking to sleep sometimes. It would be fine.

In the years to come, he'd never admit that maybe a small part of him was glad that Kaminari hadn't been deterred by Shinsou that day, and had extended the hand of friendship anyway.

On Shinsou Hitoshi's seventeenth birthday, he let Kaminari Denki pick out his first hero name.

They had been sprawled out on Kaminari's bed, forms for applying for agencies littering the floor.

"Damn, this one wants a hero name."

"Dude, just write it down." Kaminari had given up filling in the forms hours ago, claiming it had made him far too emotional. Shinsou had claimed that he was just being lazy. He got lightly zapped for that one.

"I don't have one." With that, Kaminari bolted upright, staring directly at Shinsou.

"What kind of third-year hero student at UA doesn't have a hero name?" Kaminari's mouth was open in shock.

"I guess I wasn't in your class when you guys decided on them? And then it never came up?" Shinsou rubbed the back of his neck. He hadn't really given it any thought.

"Dude!" Kaminari looked personally offended. Shinsou kind of found that adorable (he may have had a little crush, but if anyone ever asked, he vehemently denied it).

Shinsou could only eye the form, not sure where to even start with coming up with one.

"You have one in mind, right?"

"No?"

Kaminari all but jumped from the bed. "What about Brainwash?"

"Ok then." Without any delay, he grabbed a pen and wrote it on the line provided in big, scrawling letters.

"Wait, dude, sorry, that kind of sucked." Kaminari's whole face fell.

"Too late, I wrote it down." Shinsou didn't need to look up at Kaminari to know his cheeks were flushed red with embarrassment. "I like it, anyway. It fits."

He wasn't lying. Truly. It wasn't as bad as other names that Kaminari could have thought of. Shinsou may have been emotionally scarred by the time Bakugou called him 'Mindfuck', but he was thrilled it wasn't the first thing Kaminari thought of.

"Fine then, if you insist on keeping it. I guess it can be one of my birthday presents for you. Chargebolt and Brainwash, best buddies against the world."

On Shinsou Hitoshi's eighteenth birthday, Kaminari Denki kissed him for the first time.

After graduating from U.A., Shinsou had assumed he wasn't going to see any of his classmates ever again. He didn't plan to. But certain members, namely Midoriya or Kaminari, occasionally dragged him away from the agency he worked at, or home, to 'catch up'.

He didn't hate it as much as he thought he would.

For the last few years, their presence had become a constant in Shinsou's life. And they knew he appreciated it- even if he wasn't verbal about it was Midoriya and Kaminari.

That's how Shinsou found himself walking through a street festival at night with Kaminari on their night off. The warm lights radiating from the lanterns hanging on stalls bathed them in orange light. It was the prettiest that Shinsou could remember seeing the city.

And that _certainly _wasn't because a particular electricity hero was with him. No. certainly not.

"Hitoshi," Kaminari whined, elongating the 'i', "I'm hungry." He was pouting at Shinsou.

"We can grab food, I guess."

Kaminari absolutely beamed at Shinsou. Three years had passed, and Shinsou still found himself blinded every time Kaminari smiled. It was a goddamn curse.

"I'll pay! An early birthday present!"

"Denki, you never remember a birthday present." Shinsou stuck his tongue out, just to be sure that Kaminari knew he was joking. He considered his hero name to be the best gift he had ever received, anyway. (Plus, if Kaminari gave him the name, it meant he really believed that Shinsou could be a hero. That was more than enough for him.)

Kaminari glared at Shinsou anyway. "I actually had something in mind this year, but I'm not sure if you're going to like it." Kaminari turned his eyes away, and instead pretended to be distracted by the stalls around him.

Shinsou wished he wasn't so awkward. What he wanted to say was that he didn't need a gift to have a great birthday, and that Kaminari's presence was a great way to spend it anyway.

But instead, he said: "Ok."

He wanted the ground to swallow him up.

Kaminari didn't say anything for a while after that, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. He just walked through the streets, humming pop songs that Shinsou could remember hearing on the radio.

They came to a stop under a tree decorated thoroughly with lights and flags. All around them were people chattering and children running around and chasing each other, but all Shinsou could look at was Kaminari.

Maybe his crush had gotten a little out of hand.

Under the lights created by the tree, he looked luminous, as though his eyes were glowing.

"I changed my mind."

Shinsou quirked his eyebrows at Kaminari's strange comment in a gesture for him to elaborate.

"I'm going to give you the present, because I don't think I'll forgive myself if I don't."

"Denki, I really think you're overthinking this one." Shinsou was baffled by this whole situation. Kaminari was nervous?

"Close your eyes?"

"You're scaring me, dude. It's like you're about to hand me a bomb or something." Shinsou obliged anyway, screwing his eyes shut. There were a few moments of hesitation before anything happened, but then-

It was a bomb indeed. The second Shinsou felt Kaminari's lips collide with his own he could have sworn he felt something inside his chest explode.

Shinsou absolutely melted into the kiss.

When he pulled back, he couldn't help the grin that was spread across his face. Kaminari wore a matching one. It was still as bright as the sun.

"Happy birthday, Hitoshi."

On Shinsou Hitoshi's nineteenth birthday, Kaminari Denki told him that he loved him for the first time.

When Shinsou thought about 'love', he expected the first time he said it to be in some stereotypical romantic setting. Maybe over dinner, with some nice flowers. He wasn't really the romantic type (or he wouldn't admit it if he was), but he hadn't expected it to be quite like this.

He didn't expect that he would hear it when he thought he was going to die.

Being a Pro-Hero did come with its plus sides. He made enough money to sustain himself, and he was never bored at work, plus he got to save people. That was more rewarding than anything.

But on the flip side, he spent every Friday night almost getting murdered by villains. That part wasn't great.

Especially right now.

Somehow, the assholes had worked out his quirk. They weren't speaking to him at all. And he was drastically outnumbered.

He didn't even know how he got into this situation. One minute he was tracking down a mob boss, and the next he noticed his capture weapon was gone, and he _knew _that there was a crowd out for his blood

Shinsou found himself cornered into an alleyway. They were going to find him here for sure: he knew that. But he had nowhere else to run.

He grabbed his phone and shot a quick text to Kaminari.

**Shinsou: **S.O.S. Help.

He pressed send along with his location, and prayed to any higher force that Kaminari would see it.

His heart continued to hammer in his chest as he looked for any possible escape routes. The walls around him were high with no windows- that wouldn't do. There was a singular crate, but even that wasn't going to help him get to a height where he could escape.

Shinsou was going to die.

He heard footsteps. The villains weren't talking, still cautious of his quirk. They came into view, and Shinsou counted around twelve in total. He was fucked.

He was double fucked when he realised one of the quirks of the villains present was to control air.

He couldn't breathe. All the air was being forcefully sucked from his lungs and it _burnt _and he couldn't do anything to get it back.

And the villains were drawing it out for as long as possible, forcing Shinsou to suffer for as long as they wanted. He fell to his knees, clutching and clawing at his chest.

Some Pro he turned out to be. Couldn't even keep himself alive.

If he wasn't so focused on the attempt to draw air into his lungs, he might have cried.

And then it seemed the gods were in his favour. Air rushed back into his lungs, and light filled the alleyway. Yellow electricity shot through every villain present, and managed to narrowly avoid Shinsou.

Kaminari.

The way the lightning filled the alley, but only managed to hit its intended targets was proof that Kaminari had gained so much more control of his quirk in recent years. He worked hard for that kind of control. Shinsou couldn't say they were fond memories, but he remembered every muscle pulled, every tear shed, and every scream when something went wrong.

Shinsou could barely keep his eyes open by the time he heard Kaminari fall to his knees beside him. He felt his hands on his face, lightly tapping to get his attention.

"Hey, Hitoshi, please don't die in an ugly alleyway." The worry in his voice was evident, despite the attempt to make a joke.

Shinsou cracked his eyes open. "Not dying." Talking hurt. His chest felt as though it were restricting in on itself, collapsing under the weight of Shinsou's words.

"Oh, thank goodness." Kaminari pressed a gentle kiss to Shinsou's forehead. "Your text scared me, y'know."

"Villains." Shinsou didn't think he could say more than that. He needed a way to remind Kaminari that they were kind 0f surrounded right now, though Shinsou couldn't see any.

"They're not getting up for a while, don't stress it. Can you get up?" _Probably not. _But he was going to try. Using Kaminari as support, Shinsou pushed himself up onto his shaking legs before he was standing upright.

Kaminari was right, the villains on the floor around them were all unconscious. Shinsou was glad.

Before Shinsou could work out what to do next, Kaminari crashed into him, grabbing him into a hug. "Don't do that again." Kaminari looked up at him, electricity still crackling in his irises. "I love you."

The warmth that was blossoming throughout Shinsou's chest was absolutely beyond compare.

_He loved him. _

"I love you too."

On Shinsou Hitoshi's twentieth birthday, he had his first fight with Kaminari Denki.

Sure, they had little tiffs before. Small, dumb fights like being indecisive about where they should eat dinner, or the way the other stole the blanket during the night.

But it had never come down to the mess that was this argument.

Shinsou was sitting on the lounge of his apartment, arms crossed over his chest, staring down at the floor as though he wished it would swallow him up and take him away from this conversation.

And Kaminari, pacing back and forth before him, arms flailing and saying words that Shinsou wasn't really bothered processing.

Shinsou should win an award for asshole of the year.

"...And it's so damn reckless! Hitoshi, you're going to get yourself killed, the way you just run into danger with guns blazing."

"That's rich, coming from you." Shinsou wasn't going to give Kaminari the satisfaction of eye contact right now.

Shinsou knew he fucked up. He knew it when he found himself surrounded for the tenth time in the past three years, but that wasn't going to stop him from fighting. What else was a _hero _supposed to do?

"Maybe so, but you don't have the quirk to engage in combat!"

Anger boiled through Shinsou's chest, white-hot and loud. He was standing up before he even registered his own action.

"Get out." He spat out the words through clenched teeth.

His eyes started burning, and he used all his willpower to blink back any tears that threatened to form. If Kaminari wanted to walk in and take a jab at Shinsou's greatest insecurity, he wasn't going to let him.

"Okay, maybe I phrased that wrong," there was a nervous wobble in Kaminari's voice. "But I think you know what I mean?"

In a few months time, when Shinsou thought back to this moment, he could confidently say that Kaminari had only wanted the best for him. And he knew that.

But in the moment-

"I said to GET OUT!" Shinsou didn't raise his voice often, but right now he was livid. "I don't fucking know or _care _what you mean."

That was the moment Shinsou made the mistake of looking up at Kaminari. His eyes were red and his bottom lip quivered. He took a shaky breath, and without another word, turned and left the apartment.

Good. Shinsou didn't care.

He certainly didn't care enough to ring him the next day and to show up at his apartment with food as an apology for yelling. He told himself that the fact he sat down, and had a conversation where they both _listened _to each other instead of letting their emotions rule over their brain didn't mean he cared.

It was unbelievable how wrong he was.

On Shinsou Hitoshi's twenty-first birthday, he went on his first trip with Kaminari Denki.

Shinsou wouldn't call it a holiday.

Kaminari dumped his suitcase on the floor of their hotel room with a thud. "Aren't you excited to see everyone again?"

Shinsou grinned at him. "We see them like, every other week. Kirishima, Sero, Mina and Bakugou go to your apartment every Friday for a movie night. I can't escape Midoriya's company, and by extension, Todoroki, Uraraka, Iida and Bakugou's. Why are we even having a reunion?"

"Duh, so we can snoop on the people we _don't _see. Mina is an angel for organising it!"

Anything that Mina organised was probably going to be a nightmare for Shinsou. But Kaminari's excitement seemed to rub off on him, and even he found himself excited to see the classmates he hadn't talked to in so long.

"I heard that Ojiro and Hagakure are totally dating now! Isn't that crazy?"

"You need to stop being such a gossip."

"And you need to have a little more fun!" Kaminari stuck his tongue out at him. "We have about two hours before we need to leave from here, anyway."

Shinsou pushed himself out of the arm-chair that he had fallen into upon their arrival, and snaked his arms around Kaminari's waist, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"I'm glad you're excited too, babe. It'll be a fun way to spend your birthday."

With Kaminari (and maybe their other friends) with him, he knew that the evening would turn out better than expected.

On Shinsou Hitoshi's twenty-second birthday, he and Kaminari Denki moved into their first apartment together.

The apartment was slightly bigger than the ones they had been living in prior to that. It had two bedrooms, which meant they would have a spare if ever someone needed it. It was also closer to both of their offices.

Ad yet Shinsou felt every emotion under the sun whilst unpacking the haphazardly taped cardboard boxes.

He was excited! This was a huge step to be taking, and there wasn't anyone better to take it with. And with how busy their jobs had them lately, it was going to be nice to be in an environment where he was going to be able to see Kaminari every day.

But along with that excitement came waves of nervousness. He didn't know why he was so anxious about it. They had spent countless nights taking refuge in each other's apartments, so what was the difference in living in just one?

Shinsou sighed, putting another plate into the cupboard. The last thing he needed right now was his anxieties to spiral out of control.

"Okay, so, I know you love cats, but I think eight cat pillows is too many for our lounge? They don't really fit." Kaminari poked his head into the kitchen, arms clutching pillows with embroidered cats on them. "I love you, heaps, but these are ugly."

Seeing Kaminari, and hearing his rambling alleviated all the negative emotions that threatened to spill into Shinsou's mind. He was grateful for that.

"Hey! I've spent years collecting those." Shinsou pouted at his boyfriend, who was holding up one of the cat pillows and looking at it like it had committed a sin.

"Why does it have a human face? Oh my god, they all look humanoid. Toshi, we need to burn them."

"If you burn my cat pillows then I promise you that your Pikachu blanket will _mysteriously vanish in the wash." _

Both boys burst into laughter in the middle of their kitchen.

"I'm proud of us," Kaminari said, dropping the cat pillows onto the floor and sitting beside Shinsou. "I was unpacking old photos and I saw the stupid selfie we took at that festival so many years ago, and I guess it just hit me how much we've grown?" Kaminari laughed. "If Aizawa could see us now, I think he'd be impressed."

"He's coming over for dinner next week."

"Okay, thanks for dropping that bomb on me. Always glad to see your father figure."

"He will be impressed." Shinsou intertwined his hand with Kaminari's. "I'm impressed by us, too."

Shinsou knew this apartment was going to feel like home in no time.

On Shinsou Hitoshi's twenty-third birthday, he spent the first month apart from Kaminari Denki.

Since they had moved in together a year ago, the longest Shinsou had gone without seeing his boyfriend had been about twenty-four hours. And before that, they had seen each other at least three times a week, even if it was just to play a video game and inevitably fall asleep on the lounge.

Kaminari was on duty helping with natural disaster relief. His quirk was useful in helping start-up power and electricity to residential areas that had otherwise lost it. Shinsou's heart swelled with pride at that.

It didn't mean that he stopped missing him, though.

A week ago Kaminari had rung and let him know that his stay on the other side of the country was going to be extended.

Shinsou wasn't upset by any means, but he was missing Kaminari more than he thought he would, and didn't know how to cope with that.

And Shinsou had reverted back into his old ways. He spent his evenings on the lounge, instant ramen in hands, and binge-watched some crappy reality T.V. that he would deny ever having heard of.

It was so strange how having a person in your life could change it in such drastic ways.

Sitting on the arm of the lounge, Shinsou's phone buzzed. He had an internal conflict with himself before deciding that yes-fine, he'd answer the text.

**Midoriya: **Can I come over?

Shinsou wanted to scream. Couldn't a man mope into his noodles in peace?

**Shinsou: **Whatever.

Knowing Midoriya, he was going to show up regardless of whether Shinsou agreed or not.

It wasn't even a whole hour later (Shinsou had shoved a whole lot of noodle cups in the bin, in that time) that a knock sounded on the door.

"I'm coming!"

The knocks were faster, more erratic this time. Midoriya really was an asshole behind that sweet smile.

"Jesus, Midoriya, I said I was-" When Shinsou swung the door open, he wasn't greeted by the expected mop of green hair, but instead a blonde, grinning at him as though he had won a prize.

Shinsou wasted no time wrapping Kaminari in the tightest hug that he could muster. He didn't want to let go. He didn't even bother fighting the tears that were pooling in his eyes.

"I missed you too, Hitoshi." Based on the sound of Kaminari's voice, he was crying as well.

Hitoshi pulled back, and cupped Kaminari's face in his hands. "What are you doing back? I thought your station was extended."

"That was a week ago, dummy! I wouldn't miss your birthday. That's like, boyfriend law."

Shinsou kissed Kaminari as though they were the only two people left in existence.

On Shinsou Hitoshi's twenty-fourth birthday, he adopted their first pet (without Kaminari Denki's knowledge).

It was a terrible night. The rain and wind were howling, and Shinsou was cursing himself for not bringing an umbrella with him. He was thoroughly drenched.

Something moving caught his eye as he had been walking. After close inspection, it seemed to be a small, black mass, huddled between a wall and a fire hydrant. Shinsou moved slowly, and picked it up, only to find two big, green eyes staring back at him.

It was still a kitten, and shaking from the cold and wet weather.

Shinsou was a superhero, and that also included saving the likes of small felines who had clearly been abandoned. Without any struggle, Shinsou clutched the small cat to his chest and continued the walk back to his apartment.

Surely, Kaminari wouldn't mind.

When Shinsou returned home, Kaminari was too busy fussing over how soaked he was to even notice the cat.

"Oh my god, why didn't you take an umbrella? You're supposed to be the smart one!" Kaminari pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're supposed to be the one with the brain cell, and I'm the hot one. It's our dynamic."

"Uh, can I tell you something?"

"Yeah, of course- OH MY GOD are you holding a cat?" Shinsou smiled sheepishly back at his boyfriend, one hand rubbing the back of his neck, the other still cradling the kitten.

"You see, it was abandoned and I felt terrible, so I thought, if it's okay with you, we could adopt?"

As though the kitten understood, it mewled at Kaminari.

"How could I say no to that? Welcome to the family, Chicken Wing."

Shinsou didn't have a free hand to facepalm with. "Denki, we aren't calling this cat Chicken Wing."

"If you picked the cat, I get to name it. It can be Chicky for short! No one has to know what it stands for." Kaminari stared up at Shinsou with puppy-dog eyes. _How could he say no to that?_

"Welcome to the family indeed, Chicken Wing."

On Shinsou Hitoshi's twenty-fifth birthday, he opened his first hero agency with Kaminari Denki.

It was a partnership that Shinsou knew would work. He and Kaminari were best as a team.

It was a decision that they had come to together, that this was the best next step for their careers.

The office they had picked wasn't the greatest spot, but with hours of renovation and assistance from friends, they had turned it into exactly what they had envisioned.

On the top floor were a few dormitory-style bedrooms, with a bunk bed in each one, along with a kitchen, and the office they were all currently seated in. The new windows that had been installed allowed the Summer sun to spill into the room, coating it with a golden glow.

The lower levels contained a gym, as well as a large open space that Kaminari had declared could be used for both self-defence classes, and functions that they could hold in the future.

It was perfect.

"Y'know, I'm surprised that we actually got this sorted out." Kaminari was sitting at a desk, filing paperwork into various boxes. "It's crazy. I don't know how you did it."

Shinsou placed a hand over his chest in mock offence. "Excuse you, _I _didn't do anything. We did."

Kaminari took an exaggerated sniffle, and pretended to wipe tears from his eyes. "That was the most romantic thing you've ever said to me."

"Can you two get a room?" Mina asked, legs propped up on another desk.

"Mina, don't be mean!" Sero piped in, sitting beside her. "It's a miracle that Denki found someone willing to date him, we shouldn't say anything to jeopardise that."

"He's right, you know." Monoma added from his own desk (that he had demanded upon employment.) Shinsou hated them all.

"You three are still assholes. Why did we ask them to work with us?" Kaminari was pointing the closest thing to a death glare that he could muster. It was cute.

"Because we're amazing." Mina quipped back, arms crossed.

Before any further arguing could commence, Midoriya poked his head around the corner of the wooden doorframe. "Are you guys open for business?"

"You don't look like you need saving." Shinsou deadpanned back at him.

"I'm going to pretend your interpersonal skills are a bit better than that, and ignore you." Midoriya may have been smiling sweetly at him, but Shinsou was fine with the jab. "No really, isn't today the big day?"

"It is! What do you think, Mister Number One? Do we get Deku's stamp of approval?" Mina was bouncing in her seat, arms outstretched as though to display the agency.

It was still just as easy to fluster Midoriya as it was in high-school. "Oh- you guys don't need any sort of stamp of approval. Except maybe Aizawa-sensei's, I guess. But what you guys have done is amazing!"

Shinsou let his eyes wander away from Midoriya, and back to Kaminari.

"You're right. Absolutely amazing."

On Shinsou Hitoshi's twenty-sixth birthday, he said "I do" to Kaminari Denki for the first time.

Ten years. He had known Kaminari for _ten whole years _and it still felt like yesterday that he waltzed into the dorms of 2-A and had his heart stolen.

They had been through it all together. From hero names to near-death experiences, first kisses to first apartments to first agencies. And Shinsou could say from the bottom of his heart that he treasured every second.

Every experience that had scared him, however, could not compare to saying his vows on their wedding day.

He stood at the front of the church, hand in hand with Kaminari, surrounded by the people who meant the most to him. From Yamada and Aizawa who had basically raised him, to Midoriya and Monoma who had been his friends through school.

But no one was more important than the person standing right before him, still shining just as bright as the sun.

Kaminari's vows had been as wonderful as expected. They were funny, and yet sincere, and perfect in every way. Shinsou wouldn't deny that he cried.

And now it was his turn. And he was shit-scared.

"When I met Kaminari," Shinsou started. "I thought he was the sun. And I mean that in the most literal sense. I remember thinking I needed sunglasses." It elicited a laugh from almost everyone present. A good sign. "And I remember, ten years ago, that I wasn't the easiest to get along with. But that didn't stop Denki from trying. And I'm so grateful he didn't give up on me." Tears stung Shinsou's eyes, threatening to fall. "I am so lucky, that the brightest, funniest and sweetest man decided that I was the one for him.

"And he's been there, for everything. My every first, Denki stood right there beside me."

For once, it was Shinsou's smile that could light up the city.

"I can't put our years of history into enough words to convey that just how much I love you."

Kaminari was crying now too; Shinsou gripped his hands tighter.

"I love you."

He didn't even let the officiant finish declaring them married before pulling Kaminari closer and into a time-stopping kiss.

Shinsou had been through the most incredible birthdays in the last ten years.

But none would ever top his twenty-sixth.


End file.
